3AD HISTORY OF OPERATION DESERT STORM AND SPEAR

File: 081996_jul96_decls1_0170.txt
Page: 0170
Total Pages: 269

Subject: 3AD HISTORY OF OPERATION DESERT STORM AND SPEAR                 

Box  ID: BX001301

Document Number:          3

Folder Title: OPORDS AND  COMMAND AND CONTROL                                                                 

Folder Seq #:          4

Unit: 3D AD       

Parent Organzation: VII  CORPS  







                        15 km/hour. ' At 0750 hours, Colonel Higgins, the Brigade Commander, ordered an
                        increase to 20 km/hour. Within a half hour the R3 was having problems keeping
                        up. The larger trucks were unsuited to the cross country route. Their fastest
                        speed possible was 15 km/hour. Between 1000 hours and 1500 hours we crossed
                        MSR Sultan, the Wadi Al Ratin, and had closed on the day's objective, AA Iran.

                             We attracted some attention when we crossed the Wadi Al Batin. A few of
                        the characteristic small pick up trucks stoped and the Arabs took pictures.
                        Though probably innocent, these activities were reported and Military Paiice
                        were dispatched to the scene.

                             The Brigade moved again at'first light 6n 16 February. The march would
                        take us west away from Hafar Al Batin, north across the TAP Line road, then
                        into Forward Assembly Area Butts. By this time the Ist Armored Division was
                       .positioned off the 3rd Armored Division's left flank. The 4th Battalion, 7th
                        Cavalry screened in front of 3rd Armored Division. The 2nd Armored Cavalry
                        Regiment was spread out in front of both divisions and positioned up near the
                        border. The Ist Infantry Division was on the 3rd Armored Divisions right
                        flank, with the Ist Armored Division (U.K.) behind them. The Ist Cavalry
                        Divis4on was on the Ist Infantry Divisions right flank. Beyond them to the
                        east was the "Arab Corps" then the U.S. Marines.

                             The crossing of TAP Line road was fairly uneventful. By now moving as a
                        Brigade had become routine. We went from the Brigade Wedge into columns as
                    before and reformed into the wedge. We did this once again crossing the TAP
                        Line Road. The day was windy. In the blowing sands the Headquarters Battery
                        and Brigade TOC formation became separated from the column. The column soon
                        reformed.   The formation arrived in FAA Butts at about 1900.      We laagere?d in
                        about 25 km from the Iraqi border to wait for the word to move north.

                             -The enemy seemed uneasy. The air war had long ago stripped him a; his
                        airborne intelligence collection assets. Saddam was effectively blind to our
                        movements. He continued to misread our intentions. His reinforcement of the
                        so-called "Tri-Border area" may have meant he was expecting an attack up the
                        Wadi Al Batin. Our commrades in the Arab Corps were reportedly not happy about
                        this development: They were to attack in the area.

                             The Iraqis did try to find us. They mounted a series of cross border reco;
                        missions. To our front it amounted to no more than a few tanks and a few
                        radars brought south. To our east, the lst Infantry Division and lst Cavalry
                        Division engaged up to platoon-sized units well south of the border. We noted
                        the first use of anti-aircraft artillery (571'37, or 23 mm towed pieces) in
                        direct fire during this counter-recon battle. The Iraqis also managed to lob
                        f6W@tillery rounds toward Ist Infantry Division and Ist Cavalry Division.
                        Faster units answered these infractions with violent artillery raids.

                             First Sergeant Sanders was honored by his fellow soldiers in a memorial
NS291909. The service was
                        conducted by Battalion Chaplain, CPT Steve Whitney, and attended by MG Paul
                        Funk, COL Michitseh, COL Higgins, and their CSM'S.

                             On 18 February, the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment (2nd ACR) conducted a
                        reconnaissance of a berm %long the Iraq-Saudi Border. We noted the berm only
                        few weeks before in inte!:4gence reports. The Iraqis had extended the same



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Document 269 f:/Week-28/BX001301/OPORDS AND COMMAND AND CONTROL/3ad history of operation desert storm and spear:0816961333481
Control Fields 17
File Room = jul96_declassified
File Cabinet = Week-28
Box ID = BX001301
Unit = 3D AD
Parent Organization = VII CORPS
Folder Title = OPORDS AND COMMAND AND CONTROL
Folder Seq # = 4
Subject = 3AD HISTORY OF OPERATION DESERT STORM AND SPEAR
Document Seq # = 1
Document Date =
Scan Date = 18-JUL-1996
Queued for Declassification = 01-JAN-1980
Short Term Referral = 01-JAN-1980
Long Term Referral = 01-JAN-1980
Permanent Referral = 01-JAN-1980
Non-Health Related Document = 01-JAN-1980
Declassified = 16-AUG-1996